SJA News

From the upcoming Academy Theatre play Amelie: While at services at Notre Dame Cathedral, Amalie's mother (Jordan Barbour) prays for guidance in helping to raise the young Amelie (Zoe Leach). St. Johnsbury Academy Theatre will present Amelie in Fuller Hall on May 16, 17 at 7:00 p.m. and May 18 at 2:00 p.m.

The award-winning St. Johnsbury Academy Theatre will present the whimsical and charming musical play Amelie in Fuller Hall on Thursday and Friday, May 16 and 17 at 7:00 p.m., and on Saturday, May 18 at 2:00 p.m. This production represents an all-student collaboration of directors, musical directors, technicians and actors. Amelie is appropriate for all ages and tickets will be available at the door.

Amelie is based on the 2001 French romantic comedy movie of the same name which starred Audrey Tautou and won multiple Cesar awards (the French version of the Oscar) including Best Film and Best Director. It was a major box office success and was nominated for five Academy Awards. The musical play opened on Broadway in 2017.

The play tells the story of Amelie, a young French girl (played by Zoe Leach) who is raised by eccentric parents (Gavin Ghafoori and Jordan Barbour) who, incorrectly believing she has a heart defect, decide to homeschool her. As a result of her isolation, Amelie develops an active imagination and mischievous, though very shy, personality. After leaving home when she grows up, the older Amelie (Lizzy Gilmartin) becomes a waitress in a small café, which hosts a collection of eccentrics. When Amelie is startled upon hearing news of the death of Princess Diana, she drops a bottle which dislodges a wall tile in her apartment, accidentally revealing an old metal box full of childhood treasures that was hidden by a young boy decades earlier. She resolves to return the box to the grown-up child, and if successful, she vows to devote her life to bring happiness to others. As a result, she undertakes complex schemes to affect the lives of those around her, including those in the café, beggars on the street, and her widowed father, who has become a recluse. In the process of implementing her plans, she encounters a shy young man, Nino (Will Haresch) and struggles with the realization that she needs the courage to step out of her own isolated life to find happiness for herself.

Seniors Maggie Roach and Rebecca Robertson direct this production, with the musical direction of senior Kaci Cochran. The technical director is senior Matt Bader, with choreography by Fiona Sweeney. Costumes are coordinated by Jane Vinton, with props arranged by Elizabeth Breen. Thirty other students are involved in the acting, technical work, and performance in the pit band in a true, student-led collaborative effort.